Overrated
by freedomfighter82
Summary: Mark and Maureen's relationship from the beginning. Covers a lot of ground.
1. Mark and Maureen

_Disclaimer: All Jonathan Larson's.

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Maureen Johnson, 21, beautiful and talented (or so her resume said), walked into CBGB's with an air of confidence fitting her youth and her actress profession. She was a woman on a mission. And that mission was to get drunk. Really,_really_ drunk. Or flirt and/or make-out with the next eligible man she saw. Maybe all at the same time. Maureen wasn't picky. All she knew was that she had finally gotten a role in the production of a lifetime, and she was going to celebrate.

Most people would want to celebrate such an auspicious event with friends or family. Not Maureen. She didn't have much of either. Her family had always ignored her, causing her to seek attention in other venues. Her need to be loved was so great that she could sometimes suffocate her friends, who found her annoying and clingy. Maureen decided she didn't need either. Family and friends were overrated. However, boys weren't.

That was her thought as her eyes fell on a cute little nerd. He was young, younger than her, probably. If he wasn't younger than her, he sure looked it. He was blond and pale, with black glasses and a blue and white striped scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. He was paying close attention to the band that was playing. Maureen had noticed them when she walked in. They were good, especially their frontman. Now that was a hottie. Talented, too. However, he was onstage and performing, and if Maureen knew anything, it was not to interrupt anyone in a performance. This guy at the bar was cute, too. He seemed to be nursing a beer. Maureen liked beer. Maureen liked him.

As she made her way over to get her own beer, the guy she had noticed flagged the bartender over. She could almost make out what they were saying, but not quite. She was still a ways off and the band was loud. But, Maureen had a gift. She was pretty good at reading lips. So, as she walked over to the bar, she could get pieces of the conversation, at least from the bartender's side.

"No more for you until you pay," was part of it. Maureen's nerd said something, but the bartender shook his head.

"I don't care if you don't have any money. No more until you pay up." Aww, poor thing. She could tell he didn't have any money. Maureen felt sorry for him. He was so adorable, in his own nerdy way. Maureen walked over as her nerd began to argue.

"Pookie! There you are, I've been looking everywhere!" Maureen gently grabbed him, as though he were her boyfriend and she was slightly horny (the latter was true). She gave him a gigantic kiss as his eyes opened in shock. When she let him go, he could barely collect himself. Maureen widened her eyes as if to say "Play along!"

"Uhh…hi, honey. Sorry you couldn't…find me." The cute nerd said, trying to make up something convincing. Maureen held back a giggle. She looked at the bartender, then back at the cute nerd.

"Pookie, did you forget your wallet again?" She shook her head, saying everything in a very loving tone.

"Uhh…yeah, I guess I did," the nerd replied. He had gorgeous eyes, a beautiful blue.

"Aww, poor baby. Here, let me get it. How many have you had?"

"Three."

"You've been busy! Sorry I took so long."

"Umm…it's okay." Maureen paid the bartender, who raised an eyebrow, but walked away. When he was gone, Maureen looked back to the cutie.

"Thanks."

"Your welcome. Next time you come here, remember your wallet."

"I have my wallet. It just…doesn't have any money in it."

"Ah. That makes sense." The blond looked a little embarrassed. Maureen felt sorry for him. He was cute when he blushed.

"Well, what's your name?" Maureen asked.

"Mark Cohen. And yours?"

"Maureen Johnson." They shook hands.

"Seems sort of pointless now that we've already made out," Mark said. Maureen giggled. She didn't notice that they were still holding hands. She did notice his camera, though.

"Are you a filmmaker?"

"Yeah. I was filming the band. My friend is the frontman." Mark finally let go of her hand, but Maureen still didn't notice. This guy was so cute!

"Really? That's cool."

"Yeah. We've been friends since high school. After I graduated from Brown, I came up here to join him."

"You went to Brown? How old are you?"

"22. I graduated a little early."

"Wow, I'm impressed."

"Thanks." Maureen opened her mouth to say something, but the frontman interrupted her.

"Thanks, everybody! You've been great! If you enjoyed the show, we, The Well Hungarians," at the mention of the name, Maureen burst into laughter, "will be performing again next Friday night. Come out and support the band!" There were lots of cheers and yells, especially from Maureen's new friend.

"Thank you and goodnight!" The frontman jumped off the stage and nearly ran over to Mark.

"Dude! How awesome were we tonight?"

"Amazing, as usual! Sam was really attacking those drums."

"Yeah, that might be because his girlfriend just dumped him. But, whatever, cause it rocked!" Maureen laughed a little, which caused the frontman to notice her.

"Dude, who's this?"

"Oh, this is Maureen. Maureen, this is my best friend, Roger." The frontman stuck out his hand.

"Roger Davis." Maureen shook it.

"Maureen Johnson." Yes! One sweet cutie and one gorgeous rocker in one night? Life was good.

"Okay, so next week, I want you to film the whole thing! We've gotta get some good footage!"

"Dude, it's me. It's all good." Roger shot him a look.

"Okay, usually it's all good," which caused Roger and Maureen to laugh.

"So, what do you do, Maureen?" Roger asked.

As the night wore on and the two old friends talked with their new one, Maureen began to think back on her old philosophy. Maybe friends weren't really as overrated as she thought.

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_Okay, so it was sort of weird. I was just bored and decided to write a "Maureen and Mark meet" story. Haha, alliteration!Click the pretty purple/blue button and review, please! I'll give you a cookie! smiles big_


	2. Mark and Roger and Collins, oh my!

_Disclaimer: All Jonathan Larson's. R.I.P._

_Okay, so I decided to continue this. Mark and Maureen's relationship is way too much fun to write to let it go. I'm not sure how long this will end up being, as I'm not sure how much of their relationship I'm going to cover. This takes place about 2 years and 6 months before RENT. It is also dedicated to **volitaire**, who is continually awesome._

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Maureen was confused. She had been thrust into an unfamiliar situation. Maureen had a group of friends. She had never had a group of friends. She had always had her one best friend, April, and that was enough. Maureen had never seen a need for a big group of friends. She had April, and she was all she needed. But after meeting Mark and Roger two weeks ago, they had taken her in and given her friends. Friends who didn't judge her and who actually liked her for herself. They didn't even mind how clingy she was. In fact, Maureen sometimes thought that they liked that about her. Normally that drove people away. But these guys were…different. They were amazing.

After that night at the bar, Mark and Roger had invited her to come back to their loft, which she had immediately accepted. When they had left, Maureen never thought about how dangerous it was to go home with two strangers in the middle of the night. She even asked them about their murdering repertoire on the way there.

"So…you two wouldn't happen to be murderers or anything like that, right? Because if you are, then that's really going to put a damper on my evening." Mark and Roger burst out laughing.

"You caught us, Maureen. We're taking you back to our loft so that we can murder you. Damnit, Mark. Get us a stupid one next time!" Roger giggled some more as he slapped Mark on the arm. Maureen was laughing now while Mark hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Roger! She was so pretty and then she came up and made out with me, paid for my drinks, and I figured that she'd be good for us!"

"Wait, she came up to you and made out with you? You had nothing to do with it? Damn. That would have fooled me, too," Roger turned to Maureen and put his arm around her shoulders, "You know, Maureen, if you go around making out with nerds such as this one, it's bound to get you in trouble." Maureen laughed.

"Well, when I came in, he looked so cute and disarming. He couldn't pay for his drinks. He was too adorable to pass up! Can you blame me?" Roger started laughing so hard that he had to clutch his sides and nearly doubled over.

"Okay, Maureen, you're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Well, we can't have that. I don't think Mark's strong enough to murder me all by himself."

"Hey!"

"If I put up a fight, there's no way."

"_Hey_!" Maureen laughed again. When Roger finally calmed down, they continued down 11th street. Maureen could see a large warehouse looming in front of them. And Mark and Roger were headed right for it.

"Is that were we're going?" Maureen pointed.

"Yep. Home sweet dilapidated home." Mark said. Roger laughed. Maureen whispered to Mark, who was on her left.

"Roger knows what dilapidated means?" Mark let out a huge laugh and nodded his head.

"Oh. Paint me surprised." Roger turned his head.

"Hey! Secrets make baby Jesus cry!" Now Maureen and Mark were laughing again.

"What does that mean?" Maureen said.

"And why do you care?" Mark said.

"I was raised Catholic. They said that all the time."

"Ahh, yes. The only thing better than Jewish guilt is Catholic guilt."

"Amen!" Mark and Roger both said at the same time.

"Dude, I hope Collins is here. He's going to love you."

"Oooh, who's Collins?"

"Sorry, Mo. He's gay."

"That's never stopped me before." Maureen replied, while she rejoiced in her head. I've only known these guys for a couple of hours and Roger's already giving me nicknames? Wow. Maureen snapped out of her thoughts as Mark unlocked the door to the warehouse. Mark held open the door for her and Roger. Roger was about to let her go first, then stopped her.

"Wait, I should probably to check to make sure there's no crazy person with a gun."

"I thought you two were going to murder me."

"Yeah, but I don't want someone to steal our fun!" Maureen smiled. Roger went in, looked around, and proclaimed the hallway safe. He ushered Maureen inside while Mark closed the door. They led her up the stairs all the way to the top floor. Well, not quite. Roger pointed out the stairs to the right that led to the roof. Mark slid open the door and Maureen was standing in their loft.

"Welcome, Maureen Johnson, to the home of Mark, Roger, Collins, and Benny." Maureen clapped. The loft was huge. It was messy and the individual rooms were separated by three walls and a curtain, but Maureen felt an extremely homey atmosphere.

"I love it. It's loads better than the piece of shit April and I live in."

"There's another one?" Roger asked.

"Oh, yeah, my best friend April. I've known her literally my entire life. She's six weeks older than me and our moms were friends. We've been inseparable since birth. She and her mom even moved into the house next door to us when we were six. Then when she and I graduated high school, we moved to New York City from Hicksville…sorry. Way too much information."

Mark shook his head. "Nah. You'd be amazed how much Roger can pour out at one time." Roger frowned and smacked Mark on the arm. Mark sucked in air and grabbed his arm.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself!"

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," a disembodied voice said. Maureen looked up to see a handsome black man walking through one of the curtains into the room.

"Collins!" Mark and Roger yelled at the same time.

"Hey, crackers. Who's this?"

"This is Maureen. We met her tonight. She made out with Mark."

"Poor thing. Did he try to film you?" Maureen giggled.

"No. He was filming 'The Well Hungarians'." At the mention of the name, Maureen started giggling again. Roger smiled.

"You like the name?"

"Sounds like you guys are trying to compensate for something." Roger glared while Mark and Collins laughed.

"I like her." Collins came up and gave Maureen a huge hug. Maureen smiled as the big man wrapped his arms around her.

"We aren't compensating for anything. Well…maybe Eddie." Maureen giggled.

"Which one was that?"

"The bass player with the weird hat. Looks sort of punk, but not."

"Ahh. I remember him. He kind of looks like you."

"Yeah, but I'm way hotter." Maureen giggled.

"So…now what?"

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_That's all for now. I should get another update up soon. I'm going to get into Maureen and Mark's relationship very soon. I just felt that the beginning of her friendships with the other Boho Boys was important. Reviews are lovely. Cookies to anyone who can get the reference about Roger's bass player._


	3. Eggs and April

I own not a notion…I rent…

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When Maureen woke up that morning, she was alive, fully clothed (the biggest surprise), and wrapped in someone's arms. As she tried to clear the fog from her mind, she suddenly grew aware of her surroundings. She was in Roger and Mark's loft, lying on their ripped up (yet incredibly comfortable) couch and was being held by Mark. Maureen looked at him and smiled. Her little nerd. 

The night was coming back to her now. She, Mark, Roger, and Collins had stayed up talking, laughing, and drinking large amounts of liquor like old friends, even though she had only just met this group of friends. Maureen supposed that she had been sitting with Mark and had fallen asleep in his arms. Maureen smiled again as she thought back to what they had all talked about. April would have loved these gu-April. Shit!

Maureen gently unwound herself from Mark's sleeping embrace, trying hard not to wake him. He was so adorable when he slept. Maureen got up from the couch, giggling softly at Collins and Roger. Roger had fallen asleep with his head on Collins' shoulder and Collins in turn had placed his head upon Roger's. If only she had a camera.

Maureen silently walked over to the phone. She picked it up, base and all, and carried it outside onto the loft's balcony. She dialed her and April's number and held her breath. She heard the phone ring once…twice…thr-

"Hello?" A very sleepy voice answered.

"Hi April!"

"Reen. Are you dead?"

"No, stupid."

"Are you in the hospital?"

"Nope.

"A ditch?"

"Negative."

"Then why the hell are you calling?"

"In case you were searching the alleyways for my horribly mangled body."

"Nope."

"Thanks for your concern."

"You're welcome." Maureen paused, hoping April would continue. She was not disappointed.

"So where are you? While this isn't the first time you've left for the bar and not come home until the next morning, this is the first time you've called."

"What time is it?"

"About…" Maureen could hear shuffling in the background.

"…9."

"Oh. Well, I met a couple of guys."

"No surprise there. Do tell."

"Well, there's-"

"Maureen?" Maureen's head shot up. Roger was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Roger. Sorry, babe, gotta go. I'll see you in a little while."

"Fine. Call when you get work."

"Hang by your thumbs." Maureen hung up the phone and looked at Roger.

"Sorry about that. I needed to call my roommate and let her know I was alive."

"Ah. That makes sense. Why are you being considerate outside? The rest of us would like to see that side of you." Maureen smacked him on the arm.

"I didn't want to wake you three up. Though I've apparently failed."

"Well, thank you. No, you didn't wake us up. Mark can sleep through a Soviet invasion and Collins woke me up."

"Oh, okay." Maureen walked back into the loft.

"April, right?"

"What?"

"Your roommate."

"Oh yeah. Good memory." Roger bowed. Maureen giggled and put the phone back on the table. Suddenly, Maureen heard a yell and jumped nearly three feet into the air. She turned around, clutching her chest, and saw that Roger was sitting on Mark while Mark thrashed and struggled underneath him.

"Dammit, Roger! Get your ass off me!"

"Are you awake?"

"YES, YOU BLIND IDIOT! GET OFF!"

"Okay." Roger pulled himself off of him. Mark gasped for air. Maureen and Collins, who had been searching for food, had dissolved into a fit of giggles. Well, Maureen giggled. Collins laughed directly from his gut.

"Was that a battle cry I heard?" Maureen asked. Roger nodded proudly.

"Nice."

"Okay, ladies, breakfast consists of one egg and two pieces of toast," Collins announced. Mark and Roger looked at each other and both took off for the kitchen, trying to be the first for the egg. Collins held up his hand and they stopped in their tracks before directly colliding with him.

"Hey! Be nice, you two. Our pretty guest, who managed to put up with you idiots last night, gets the egg."

Maureen smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, Collins, but I need to get going. I have rehearsal at 11." Mark and Roger pouted.

"You're leaving so soon?" Mark asked. Maureen smiled even larger.

"I need to go home, get showered, get to rehearsal, which will probably last until about 5, then I should probably actually talk to my roommate, but I'll call you guys tonight. Maybe we can go out again." Mark immediately lit up at the last remark.

"Hey, yeah! You haven't even met Benny. Where is that douchebag, anyway?" Roger asked Collins. Collins shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably seducing some wealthy maid into giving him fifty bucks so that we can buy food."

"Or getting laid."

"Same thing."

"So, Benny's a prostitute?" Maureen asked. Collins choked on his coffee and Mark and Roger both burst out laughing.

"No, Maureen. Benny's not a prostitute." Roger choked out.

"So what is he?"

"Worse." Mark said, as Roger nodded.

"Worse than a prostitute?"

"Yep. He's in…real estate."

"Yeah. That's definitely worse." Maureen grabbed her purse.

"Thanks so much for letting me into your loft and entertaining me all night."

"You're welcome." Mark said. As Maureen was about to open the loft door, Mark grabbed her arm.

"Wait! I forgot to give you our number."

"Oh, yeah. Can't forget that." Mark grabbed a piece of paper and ripped part of it off. He scribbled the number down and handed it to her. Maureen smiled, took the piece of paper and walked out of the loft. As she closed the door, she heard Roger say to Mark, "Okay…I'll play you for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" and Mark groan and say, "Best two out of three…" Maureen giggled and shut the door completely.

As she exited the warehouse and began walking in the direction of her apartment, Maureen's mind was abuzz with the events of last night. Friends…that had to be what this was. She couldn't think of anything else to call it. Honest to God _friends_. Maureen had heard of friend, but never friends. She wasn't sure how to react. All she knew was that she didn't want them to go away.

Maureen finally reached her apartment. She put her key in the lock, but before she could turn it and open the door, it was flung open.

"Reen! I heard a hot guy on the other end of the phone. Spill, now!"

"Hi April. How in the world do you know it was a hot guy?"

"Because his voice was all deep and melodic. He had to be hot." Maureen laughed.

"Can I at least get in the door, first?" April looked at the door and how she had positioned herself directly between the apartment and Maureen.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Maureen giggled and walked in. She walked to their couch (not as ripped as Mark and Roger's, but definitely not chic) and sat down. April bounced onto the couch next to her, moving aside her yards of notes and scratch work.

"Okay. Start with the hot one."

"That would be Roger."

"Ooh, Roger. I like it."

"I just told you his name!"

"Well, stop stalling and tell me more!"

"He's a musician. He lives with Mark, Collins, and Benny. I haven't met Benny, yet, but Mark and Collins are amazing. Mark's a filmmaker and Collins is a professor." April waved her hand.

"Pish posh. Tell me more about the musician. Is he a rocker?"

"Yep. Short, spiky, bleached hair. Amazing green eyes. Very nice arms. I'm telling you, he's got "April's hottie" written all over him." April giggled.

"Tell me more now!"

"I have to get ready!"

"I will follow you into the shower if I have to!" Maureen rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Here's what happened." Maureen began to fill April in with all the details. How she had met Mark and Roger, how she met Collins, what they had talked about. Roger's arms. Roger's eyes. Roger this, Roger that. April couldn't get enough. When Maureen was finished, April's eyes were wide with exhilaration.

"I want to meet them now!"

"I'm going to call them when I get home from rehearsal tonight. Don't worry. Now may I please go take a shower now?"

"Fine. Take your shower. Leave me here to lie in my wantings and waitings."

"If you're going to be a writer, you better work on that grammar, hon." April threw a pillow at her friend.

"Just a suggestion."

"Go take a shower, hot pants. You smell."

"I do not, mini-skirt. I do, however, need to wash my hair."

"Yes, but you also smell like cigarettes. I might die from smoke inhalation."

"Stop being such a drama queen."

"As if you can talk!"

"I'm a horrible influence on you."

"Yes. Yes you are." Maureen threw the pillow back at April and got up and walked into the bathroom.

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There, the third chapter! Sorry that took so long. Don't expect speedy updates from me. A lot of that was written in Chemistry class when I was ignoring her rantings at us. Our Chemistry teacher is psychotic. Anyway, click the pretty review button! I hope you enjoyed. And if you can catch the April and Maureen end of phone conversation reference, you'll be my hero. It's not that hard. 


	4. Maureen's First Protest

Disclaimer:: I own nothing.

Umm…so yeah, this took WAY too long to get out. Sorry bout that one. I'm going to go sit in the corner now. Enjoy! Oh, the language is pretty harsh in this one. Mo swears a lot when she's angry. And thanks to **volitaire**, who helped out with a problem I had in this.

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"GODDAMNIT!" Maureen yelled as she stormed into the apartment she shared with April. April hardly looked up when Maureen screamed, having been extremely used to Maureen's diva entrances. She would have barely noticed when Maureen flung herself on the couch if not for the fact that she crumpled half of April's notes and had landed partly on April's legs. Even with that April would have just looked up to adjust her notes if it had not been for the real tears that were pouring out of Maureen's eyes and the shaking that April could see in her shoulders. That worried April. 

"Reen? Are you okay?"

She was answered with more sobs.

"Maureen Elizabeth Johnson, answer me!"

"Theygoncloseownmytheare!" Maureen cried out.

"They're gonna close down your theatre? What? Why?"

"IDONKNO!" Maureen shrieked and buried her head in the couch pillows.

"Okay, Reen, calm down. Nothing can be done with you spazzing."

"Mmph," Maureen mumbled in the pillows.

"Maureen, come on, just explain everything to me. Please?" April's patience was starting to wear thin. Maureen came out from the pillows and April finally got a good look at her face. It wasn't pretty. She was really upset. Her mascara had washed down her face, her foundation was all messed up, and her hair was tousled every which way (which was normal, but this was a scary destruction).

"Okay." Maureen took a deep breath, something her physical trainer had taught her to do when she needed to collect her thoughts, and began.

"So I got up and got ready and walked to the theatre this morning like normal. When I got there, I could tell that something had happened because everyone looked really downcast and upset. Mary, my director, called me over and told me what had happened. Apparently the theatre had been having a lot of financial troubles and the lack of audience turnout hadn't been helping their causes. Well, the fucking bank called the theatre and gave them their two week notice: if they didn't raise 3000 dollars in two weeks, those assholes would be sending bulldozers over to destroy the greatest place in human existence, my theatre. The people who run the theatre are fucktard pricks who didn't think to tell the cast until the day before the bulldozers were due to come. The board came in a couple of hours before I got there and basically told Mary to close everything down and for everybody to get their stuff and kaput. Those fucking bastards!" And with that, Maureen flung herself back into the pillows and folds of the couch.

April was shell-shocked. She knew how much this theatre meant to Maureen, and she knew how much this part meant to her. It had been her first starring role since NYU and April knew that she had missed continuously being in the spotlight. And the work. When it was something Maureen was passionate about, she would work her ass off. Suddenly, something in April's head clicked.

"So…what are you going to do about it?"

"What am I going to do about it? What can I possibly do? It's not like I can change the way things are going."

"Yes, you can."

"No I can't. I'm only one person. It took five bastards in the board to tell one director that she had to pack up her crew. What's one girl from Hicksville going to ch-"

"Everything! Reen, no one wants to hear you bitch about the world if you aren't going to do something about it. They're just empty words. Get off your ass and do something about your theatre!"

Maureen looked at April. Several emotions passed in her face. First anger at being interrupted. Then confusion at April's words. Then her face grew harsh at April's manner, then intense as she thought about how to change the world. Then her face broke and a smile crept onto her lips. She hopped off the couch and started pacing.

"Change the world. Change the world. They're going to bulldoze at six—no, that would never work…with the right tools…nah, too risky. They can't bulldoze if there's---I don't have the body for that plan…where in the world would I get—that's where I'd get chains! Oh, this is perfect…this is perfect!" Maureen rushed to the phone while April looked on.

"Umm…Reen? What are you thinking? What chains? And…what are you doing now?"

"Calling for reinforcements," Maureen said as her fingers pulled the dial to the respective number rapidly.

* * *

"Umm…Maureen? As much as I appreciate you calling us to help you, and as much as I love helping a friend in need, could you please explain again why we're at a construction site in the middle of the night?" Mark asked. 

"Looking for chains, Marky!" Maureen said in hushed tones.

"Yeah, looking for chains, Marky!" Roger repeated. Mark swiped at Roger's head, but Roger ducked. Maureen and April giggled as Collins continued to sweep the site with his flashlight.

"I get that part. But…"

"Mark, we're here to save Maureen's theatre from complete and total destruction by power-hungry Carnegie and Vanderbilt Wall Street bank officials who would rather suck the juice out of the arts than close one of their environment killing, earth destroying, war-inducing factories." April explained.

"Oh." Mark said, while Roger grinned at April.

"So, you're a writer?" Roger asked.

"How could you tell?" April flirted with inflection and a cock of her head. Maureen rolled her eyes.

"Focus, people! Chains now, flirting later!" April rolled her eyes in turn and went back to talk to Roger. Maureen looked on in worry. She tried to focus on scanning the ground and the surrounding area, but her mind kept going back to April. She was the only one who knew about her addiction, which April dismissed as a "mere mind-focuser for my block", but Maureen knew better. She saw how April would shake at night, how she would leave at random times during the day when her shakes were getting bad, saying she needed to "Clear her mind" and would come back happy and bubbly with her pupils dilated and her sleeves pulled to her wrists. Maureen saw, but was too scared to confront her more, knowing April had too much dirt on her to be able to let Maureen get away with lecturing her about her life. These thoughts were heavy on Maureen's mind when she fell face-first into the ground.

Or at least, she would have fallen face-first into the ground if it hadn't been for Mark's strong arms grabbing her and stopping her fall. He pulled her close and steadied her. Maureen smiled.

"Nice catch."

"Always." Mark grinned and Maureen smiled even wider as she looked into his blue eyes. She swore she could get lost for days in them- She was interrupted by an "A-hem" and a throat clearing from Collins.

"I believe Maureen found what we were looking for." Maureen looked at where he was pointing and saw the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen (next to Mark's eyes). She squealed and held up her prize.

"Chains!"

"I believe those are what you tripped over." Maureen giggled.

"Amazing how you can look so hard for something with your eyes, yet you can always count on your feet to find it." Maureen gathered the chains in her eyes, with Roger, Mark, and Collins stooping to pick up more.

"Jesus, there's like two miles of chain here. How in the world did we miss this?" Roger asked. Maureen shrugged, even though she knew the answer.

"C'mon, guys, I'm freezing my ass off here," April said.

"Here, take some chain, it'll make you all nice and warm." April glared at Maureen, but took some anyway.

"Hey, you came to help, mini-skirt. So help you must." April stuck her tongue out. Maureen repeated the motion, then both girls burst into giggles.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's get these theatre-saving metal devices to Maureen's apartment." Collins said. Maureen saluted and they began retracing their steps to the entrance of the construction site.

* * *

Maureen's eyes scanned parking lot in front of the theatre. It was five in the morning and she had just finished her speech. She had to get there early to finish setting up. It was times like these when she thanked God for April and her new friends. She'd never have been able to do this without them. 

As she ran over her lines in her head, Maureen took note of her friends' actions. Collins and Mark were wrapping chain around "her" pole and April and Roger were flirting. Maureen felt that familiar ache in her stomach every time she saw them together. She had no idea why, though. She knew she had to quit it. April was Maureen's best friend. She could trust her. Couldn't she?

"Hey." Maureen jolted out of her thoughts.

"Hey," Maureen smiled at Mark.

"You gonna be able to do this?"

"Yeah," Maureen took a breathe," I think so. I've never done anything like this before. I've always had lines, always knew where to go, always had direction. I feel so…"

"Self-sufficient? Independent?"

"At sea."

"That works, too." Maureen grinned. Count on Mark to cheer me up, she thought.

"Hey, sun's coming up. You'd better get ready." Maureen nodded and walked to her pole. It was more of a column. The theatre was modeled after old Greek and Roman auditoriums, just enclosed and with an actual stage and not as many seats. It was more of a reminder than a model. Maureen leaned against the column. She could feel the cold chain at her back. She took another deep breath.

"You okay?" Collins asked. Maureen nodded.

"Just do it. Before I change my mind." Even as she said the words, Maureen knew that she would never be able to do that. This was too important to her. Even though she knew that her chances of winning were slim to none, she had to do this. She was not going to go down without a fight.

Collins began wrapping the rest of the chain around her. Maureen tensed at the cold, then relaxed. If she was relaxed she would be able to breath better. While projection was not a problem (she'd always had a big mouth), the diaphragm would not be able to function if it was crushed and she ran out of air.

When Collins had finished, Maureen looked over at Roger and April. They walked over to her and they each gave her a huge hug, April's lasting the longest.

"Be careful, hot pants."

"You know I will, mini-skirt." April smiled and got into position in front of the theatre to the left of Maureen. Roger was at April's right and Collins at Maureen's left. Mark stood away, filming. Maureen looked to the sky and said a small prayer. She had never been much for religion, but she prayed when she needed it and today was definitely a praying day. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, there they were.

The bulldozers. She had heard them coming and could almost feel April tense, even though she was a couple of feet down. Maureen kept her eyes closed. The man who, from the megaphone, seemed to be the leader turned on his noisy contraption and asked them what they were doing. Maureen kept her eyes closed, hoping that Mark was still filming. She heard the man on the megaphone again.

"Please step away from the building. It is a hazard." Maureen resisted the urge to snort. She heard the clicking again, but before he could speak, she opened her eyes and flung her head up.

"You." She projected out and stopped the man in his tracks. She finally saw them. Two bulldozers, about five ground workers and two men in the bulldozers. The man with the megaphone was in a suit. He was very mousy looking. Maureen resisted the small smile that was begging to creep onto her lips.

"You, _sir_, do not scare me. You with your machinery and your megaphone," she said the word megaphone even louder, to accentuate the fact that she needed no megaphone to be loud.

"You surround yourself with these heartless contraptions in order to take down a building with a heart. Do you even know anything about this theatre? It was built in 1942 in memory of a little girl who had died of cancer." Maureen had made that up. But it sounded cool. The man obviously had no idea when it was built. He kept looking around nervously, trying to figure out what to do about this small girl with the big voice and her three friends.

"You wouldn't want to tear down a building for a little cancer patient? Of course you would. Because you, like your machines, have no heart. This theatre has a heart. It may not be alive in the physical sense, but it has a beat, a throb, a hum. That comes from love. And passion. And the blood and sweat that is poured onto those floors and that stage every. Single. Day. The heart comes from the people within. The heart comes from the people who love this theatre. These chains I have wrapped around myself and my colleagues symbolize the chain of love. That chain will NEVER be broken. No matter what. You may tear down this building and you may tear us apart, but the chain will never break. The love is too strong. And you cannot destroy it, no matter what you and your machines do to this soul of the arts. No matter what. The chain will not be broken. The chain will not be broken. The chain will not be broken." Maureen chanted over and over as April, Roger, Collins, and even Mark joined in.

A crowd had started to gather, but Maureen could no longer see them. She was no longer connected to the column, she was soaring over everyone. The adrenaline pumping through her veins was over-powering her. As April, Roger, Collins, and Mark continued to chant, Maureen broke the chant, urging the crowd to join.

"Come on! Join us! Keep the oppression away! The chain will not be broken! The chain will not be broken! Join us! The chain will not be broken! THE CHAIN WILL NOT BE BROKEN!" Maureen could feel the crowd swell around the bulldozers and the workers. She could feel, see, hear, nearly touch the crowd's intense reaction. She knew that some of the theatre patrons were there, along with her fellow actors and crew. She could see Mary and at the same time could not see her. She was above everything. As everything was building up and building up, Maureen released everything. She screamed.

The scream jolted the crowd and her friends. But not so much as the workers and the man with the megaphone. She continued to scream. In the middle of her screaming, she heard shouting. She petered off and opened her eyes from their scream-induced closure. The man with the megaphone was waving her off, shouting. Maureen closed her mouth and looked and understood what he was saying.

"Fine! Just…stop screaming! Please! We will try to negotiate with the board of your theatre again. Just…stop. Please." Maureen looked at him straight in the eye. She scanned him and came to the conclusion that he was telling the truth.

"Alright. Take your bulldozers and go away. Then we will leave." The man nodded and motioned for the crowd to part. They split and after a couple of minutes of sputtering and charging and maneuvering, the bulldozers were making their way down the street. A couple more minutes and they were gone.

Maureen breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd exploded into applause and cheers. Mark undid Collins' chains and Collins began undoing Maureen's while Mark set to work on Roger. When she was finally free, Maureen collapsed into Collins' arms. April ran over to her and hugged her. Maureen muttered something and April bent down to hear. April smiled and giggled a little.

"No, Reen. We didn't do it. You did it."

* * *

Okay! Again, SO sorry for the wait. Please review! I'm not sure how much I liked this, but Maureen's protest needed to be done. It isn't as cheesy as I was going to make it, but it will suffice. 


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